The field of the invention relates generally to wind turbines and, more specifically, to managing the operational lifetime of wind turbine generators.
Wind turbine generators use wind energy to generate electricity and are becoming increasingly more important in terms of a renewable source of generating electricity.
A wind turbine typically includes a device, such as a controller, that monitors various operational parameters of the wind turbine. The controller may adjust various operating parameters, such as a direction to which the wind turbine is facing and/or a pitch angle of the rotor blades. Further, the controller may determine a generator load to place on the wind turbine to efficiently generate electricity within the physical constraints of the wind turbine components. These stresses and loads imposed upon the wind turbine may cause the wind turbine to fail or malfunction, which may prevent the wind turbine from generating electricity. This failure or malfunction can cause a loss of revenue for the operator of the wind turbine until the wind turbine is repaired or replaced.
Generally, wind turbine monitoring systems are reactive in that the systems monitor the wind turbine's various operational parameters for anomalies and/or fault triggers indicating a failure or malfunction in the wind turbine which mandates repair or replacement immediately. Other monitoring systems may monitor wind turbines for substantial increases or decreases in operational parameters such as vibration, temperature, mechanical stress, and generating output. These operational parameters may indicate that the wind turbine is approaching a failure or malfunction at some unknown time in the near future. Such failure or malfunction may require repair or replacement, but may also indicate that the operating parameters of the wind turbine should be adjusted to enable the wind turbine to continue operating. Repairing or replacing a wind turbine before it must be replaced can unnecessarily increase the operating cost of a wind turbine generating facility. An operator that can determine a more accurate time estimate of the failure of a wind turbine could replace the wind turbine closer to the end of the wind turbine's operational lifetime as to avoid such premature repairs or replacements. Further, such an operator could reduce the potential losses of revenue from a loss of generating capacity by an unexpected failure or malfunction of a wind turbine.